Movin' On
by Hopeful Romantic
Summary: Just what the title says... sometimes you just move on...


**Disclaimer:** Bones is owned by Kathy Reichs, Hart Hanson, and all the grand high mucky mucks of FOX. No copyright infringement is intended and no money was made from this of course. Any similarity to any other story not my own is coincidence.

**Title:** Movin' On  
**Genre:** Angst; Booth/Brennan; Booth/OC  
**Rating:** PG  
**Timeline:** Sometime during/after 5x18  
**Author's Notes:** Okay, so it's been long and long since I wrote anything, let alone anything for Bones... but ah well. I'm not real sure about this, but my cranky little muse told me to write it and I always try and do what she says. *wry grin*

Also note that I wrote this based merely on the spoilers for 5x18, well, one character spoiler in specific. I have not seen any episodes past 5x16, so this may or may not be wildly AU. Please do not read if you wish to remain unspoiled.

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_~ I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong~_

Rascal Flatts

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I absently brushed the flour from my hands as I went to answer the insistent knock at my front door. Unexpectedly, I saw my partner there, dressed to the nines in a simple, tight, black cocktail dress that I had to silently admit, did very good things for her.

"Bones, I thought... I mean, aren't you supposed to be out tonight with Hacker?" I managed to ask as evenly as I could.

I glanced quickly at my flour dusted watch and noted that it was too early for any kind of date to be over and too late to just be starting.

"I am... I was... I just..." she replied, stumbling uncharacteristically over her words. "I _was_ out with Andrew, but..."

"Seeley? Who is it? Is something..." Catherine asked, strolling into the living room from the direction of my kitchen, dusting flour loose from her own hands. "Oh, Doctor Brennan, good evening."

"Doctor Bryar," Bones replied simply, her voice as clipped and professional as if she were in her lab instead of standing in my doorway.

I watched her take note of Catherine's almost disheveled appearance and my own flour dusted hands and clothes. Catherine gave a chagrinned sort of little laugh, brushing quickly at her dark hair, fallen loose from the simple elastic band that had been holding it back.

"I love apple pie, so Seeley offered to teach me his mother's recipe," she explained, flushing slightly and giving another small laugh.

Catherine turned her attention to me. "But I suppose we'll just have to try it again some other night."

She gave me a quiet smile, full of promise.

"There's no need," my partner replied dryly before I could respond.

"Oh, it's quite all right," Catherine countered. "Duty before pie after all," she added brightly before smiling again. "Besides, this way, Seeley owes me another date."

"What I _meant_," Bones said, "was that I'm not here regarding a case. There's no need to interrupt your date. I'll simply talk to Agent Booth at a more convenient time."

She turned on her heel and was out of the door before I could say a word. It took me a moment of heart wrenching silence, watching my suddenly empty doorway, before I could turn to Catherine.

"I'll be right back," I assured her. "I just... she's my partner...and..."

"Of course... go... go," she replied, freeing me to dart out the door just in time to see that Bones had made it down almost the entire hallway, impressive in such a short time and on three inch heels.

"Bones!"

She kept walking and I called out a little louder, chasing her down in my bare feet. "Bones!"

She had to be ignoring me, because my last call had been nearly a yell.

"Temperance!" I relented finally as I, in fact, yelled, hoping that I hadn't just pissed off all my neighbors.

My partner froze and I caught up with her next to the elevator.

"Hey Bones, what's up? What's wrong?" I asked her tense, bare shoulder blades, watching as the point of the deep V of her dress shifted along the small of her back.

"Nothing's wrong," she replied in the same clipped voice that she had used with Catherine. "I'm fine. Everything's fine and Doctor Bryar will be waiting," she added, her back still to me. "You should get back to her."

"Come on, Bones," I coaxed. "You were supposed to be out on a date, but instead you show up at my door at..." I glanced again at my watch. "Nine thirty at night. Something's gotta be up, so what is it?"

She finally turned to me, crossing her arms underneath her breasts. She took a breath.

"I told Andrew that I no longer wish to see him in anything other than a professional capacity."

"Well... okay then..." I replied slowly, trying to figure out exactly what my partner needed to hear from me. "Did something happen?" I asked finally when no further explanation seemed to be forthcoming, hoping like hell that I wasn't going to have to go kick my boss' ass.

"Happen?"

"Well yeah, Bones; what made you break it off with Hacker? I mean, I thought you liked the guy."

"I do like Andrew. He has several fine qualities and I'm certain that he would be excellent in bed. And it _has_ been several months since..."

"Bones..." I interrupted her quickly.

She blinked, stopping to watch me, and for a moment, I couldn't get any kind of read on the expression in her eyes. She took another deep breath.

"I like Andrew, but he's not... I want something... I find that my requirements for pursuing a relationship have..."

She fell silent a moment, watching me with an almost intense scrutiny.

"They may have changed..." Bones said finally.

"Changed?" I echoed.

"As I said Booth, they may have changed, and Andrew... Andrew is not someone that..."

My partner fell silent and I watched her gaze drift across my face before lingering on my cheek. Slowly, she reached out and brushed her fingers over my skin, gathering a light dusting of white on the tips.

"I want... I think... I may have changed somehow... but I'm not sure, so I came here because I wanted... what I mean is... what I thought was... you could help me determine..."

She leaned forward, so close, so close that I could feel the heat of her against my skin like sunlight and spring warmth. So close that it would take nothing but an impulse to kiss her. So close...then suddenly Bones stepped back, her warmth retreating as she looked to a point somewhere past my shoulder, prompting me to turn.

Catherine walked toward us, and I noticed that her hair was now entirely loose with only hints that some stray traces of flour still lingered in the ebony strands.

"Seeley, I think I'm just going to go," she said lightly.

"Catherine..."

"It's okay," she assured me gently. "Like I said, duty before pie." She stepped close and brushed her lips softly over mine. "Besides," she added quietly, "All good things must happen eventually." She leaned close to my ear. "But next time, I think we should try my place."

Catherine looked to my partner and smiled brightly. "Evening Doctor Brennan."

Bones merely nodded as Catherine stepped onto the elevator.

"She must really like pie," she said abruptly once the doors were closed.

"Bones..."

"You should go, Booth," she interrupted. "If you use the stairs you should have more than adequate time to catch her."

"I've got a moment, Bones."

"Go Booth..."

"Bones..." I said again, pushing the word up and out through a tight throat.

"No Booth, you should go now and catch her."

"Bones, what you were saying about changing; about wanting..."

"Is irrelevant," she interrupted, softening her tone as she caught my look. "You've moved on. You deserve to move on."

Unexpectedly, she reached out again to brush some flour from my hair. "And you deserve someone that likes pie without having to be convinced to do so," she said softly with a small, almost wistful smile. "You deserve... you deserve more than I can ever give. Go Booth..."

I nodded even though it suddenly felt like I had been shot, and I didn't know if was my partner or me holding the gun.

"You gonna be okay, Bones?" I asked carefully.

"Of course, now please Booth... just... just go..."

I nodded again and made a break for the stairwell door, forcing myself not look back...


End file.
